All Is Said And Done
by WinterSky101
Summary: The negotiations between the representatives from all the different elf lands are always tense. The one discussing what to do in regards to the newly-restored King of the Mountain is no exception. Missing scene from All Will Be Well. Sixth in "All That Is Gold."


**Hello again!**

 **The events of this fic occur during All Will Be Well, between chapters 18 and 19. In chapter 19, Tauriel mentions that the elf lords and lady met together and named her the emissary between the elves and the dwarves. This fic describes that meeting.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own The Hobbit.**

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The tension entered the room with Thranduil. Elrond, Galadriel, and Celeborn were close enough that they could having meetings, even ones of such great importance, without the risk of it turning into a fight. Galadriel and Celeborn were the parents of Elrond's wife, after all, even if Celebrían had fled Middle Earth years ago, and Arwen had been living with her grandparents for years now. They were more than capable of being civil.

Thranduil, on the other hand, had always been much more confrontational. He regarded it as a slight that he didn't possess an elf ring while Elrond and Galadriel did, a slight that was always quick to cause his anger over it to rise to the surface. The fact that the third ring had gone to Gandalf, who wasn't even an elf, had only increased Thranduil's ire. From a political perspective, in the eyes of the other races of Middle Earth, he would seem the most powerful, with the title of king instead of lord, but in many other ways, he was the weakest of the four. Celeborn was said to be one of the wisest elves in all of Middle Earth, which was an impressive legacy even if one ignored that he was a kinsman of King Thingol and had spent much of his youth in Thingol's court. Galadriel was perhaps the most powerful elf in Middle Earth with an impressive lineage of her own, as well as an elf ring. And Elrond, of the impressive line of the Half-Elven and great in his own right, wore the ring Vilya upon his hand, the most powerful of all the elf rings. Thranduil was not powerless, and his lineage was great as well, but he could not hope to compete with the others.

"Shall we begin our discussion?" Thranduil asked as he sat down, his robes flaring behind him. The others sat as well, Elrond making a soft noise of irritation that only he, the youngest, would have done aloud. That wasn't to say Galadriel and Celeborn didn't share his annoyance, but they were older than he and would never show any hint of their irritation externally.

"We will require a promise of nonaggression between our people and the dwarrows of Erebor," Galadriel stated. Celeborn nodded slowly.

"We will need an ambassador as well," he added.

"Who would we choose?" Elrond asked, frowning. "There are not many elves whom the dwarrows will suffer to live with them. The king's nephews were fond of my sons, but I do not know that the king himself was."

"I believe I have a solution," Thranduil drawled. The others all turned to face him. He barely seemed to be paying attention to the meeting, but it wasn't too difficult to see through the façade.

"Yes?" Elrond asked, his voice a bit testy. Thranduil looked over at him.

"Well, we need an emissary whom the dwarrows will accept," he stated. "There are not many, it may be said."

"As we have stated," Celeborn replied, his voice entirely mild. Thranduil inclined his head slightly, a hint of a smirk on his face. He had the upper hand in the conversation, which was fairly uncommon in such discussions; it was clear he planned to keep it for as long as he could.

"I happen to know of an elf who would be likely to be accepted by the dwarrows, both due to an affection for her and a debt they owe." Elrond pursed his lips slightly, thinking he understood what Thranduil was getting at. Thranduil could see that and finished his thought before Elrond could jump in. "I suggest we appoint the Captain of my Guard to the post, Tauriel. The dwarrow princes and two of the other companions spent an extended period of time with her and seem to like her well enough, and she saved the life of the younger prince. The king owes her for that. If we wish to find an elf he will accept, I believe Captain Tauriel is our best option."

"She is young, is she not?" Galadriel asked, her voice as calm as if she were commenting on the weather. Thranduil's expression tightened minutely.

"She is intelligent and, as I said, has already created a bond with some of the dwarrows. She is only six hundred years old, yes, but I raised her myself since she was young. I can vouch for her capabilities." Although his words themselves may have sounded paternal, Thranduil's tone was anything but; it wouldn't take a genius to see that, while he may have raised Tauriel, Thranduil didn't see her as a daughter.

"Does she have any experience in negotiations?" Celeborn asked mildly. Thranduil didn't seem happy to have his option questioned.

"Not as such, but I believe she will perform her duty admirably," he retorted. Elrond frowned.

"I believe we should talk with Captain Tauriel directly," he stated. "At the moment, we cannot even know if she would accept such a position."

"I am certain she would," Thranduil stated. Elrond inclined his head slightly in his direction.

"Be that as it may, we still ought to ask Captain Tauriel herself. I shall send Lindir to fetch her," he declared, standing. No one moved to stop him, so Elrond walked over to the door and opened them, stepping out to speak to Lindir, who was waiting there.

"Do you need my assistance, my lord?" Lindir asked. Elrond sighed.

"I need you to fetch Tauriel, the captain of Thranduil's guard." Lindir nodded, bowed, and hurried off. Elrond allowed himself a moment to curse the fact that he had to deal with these things before stepping back into the room.

"We ought to discuss alternative options for an emissary, should Captain Tauriel be proven unfit for the position," Galadriel stated. Elrond nodded as he sat back down. "Of the elves of Lothlórien, there are few who speak the Common Tongue well enough to take the position. Of those who do, I would suggest one of the marchwardens of Lórien, by the name of Haldir."

"I do not know how easy Haldir would find it to negotiate with the dwarrows," Celeborn cautioned. Galadriel frowned.

"Perhaps you are correct. Lord Elrond, could you think of anyone fit for the position?"

"As I said before, my sons are friendly with the princes and would be likely to accept the position, were it offered to them," Elrond replied. "Most of the elves of Rivendell are fluent in the Common Tongue, but I do not know how many would accept the position. I cannot see Erestor or Glorfindel accepting to treat with dwarrows of their own free will."

"My son Legolas would be fit for the position, should Tauriel reject it," Thranduil mentioned. "But I would still think Tauriel to be the best option available."

There was a knock on the door before anyone could respond. "Enter," Galadriel called. Lindir opened the door for Tauriel, who stepped in shyly, bowing deeply.

"My king. My lords, my lady."

"Tauriel," Thranduil stated firmly. Tauriel's back stiffened immediately. "It has been decided that there must be an emissary between the dwarrows and the elves. I have nominated you as a consideration for the position."

"I am honored, my king," Tauriel replied, bowing deeply again. Elrond frowned slightly.

"Captain Tauriel, what is your relation to the last members of the Line of Durin?" he asked.

"A bond of friendship exists between myself and the two princes, my lord, especially the younger," Tauriel replied. Her words sounded almost cautious. "And the king has mentioned he feels indebted to me for saving the life of Prince Kíli." Something about how Tauriel said Kíli's name made Elrond suspect that perhaps the bond between the two wasn't precisely friendship. "And I am friendly with some of the others from King Thorin's Company."

"Have you experience with negotiation?" Celeborn asked. Tauriel shook her head, looking regretful.

"Very little, my lord. I know only what I have seen while guarding my king during the negotiations he hosts." Elrond pursed his lips slightly. "But I would be more than willing to learn," Tauriel added.

"Would you accept the position if it were offered?" Galadriel asked. "You would live here in the mountain, and while Mirkwood is not too far, you would not be able to visit very often. Would that be too large a sacrifice for you to make?"

"I would make the sacrifice gladly," Tauriel replied, inclining her head. "If I were offered the position, I would accept it."

 _Do you think she is ready for the position?_ Galadriel's voice asked in Elrond's mind. He knew she was asking Celeborn as well.

 _I believe she will do the best she can,_ Celeborn replied. _She is young, but so are the dwarrows, compared to us._

 _I agree,_ Elrond added. _I believe her to be our best option. What of Thranduil's opinion?_

There was amusement in Galadriel's voice when she replied. _I believe we all know what he will say to the idea of her appointment. If one of his subjects becomes the emissary, he will have deeper connection to her than the rest of us._

Elrond frowned slightly. _I do not think that is wise,_ he cautioned.

 _I believe I have a solution,_ Celeborn remarked. Both Elrond and Galadriel immediately quieted to listen; Celeborn's solutions almost always worked. _A provision to the position ought to be that the emissary would be held equally responsible for her duties by all of us. She will still be an Silvan elf of Mirkwood, of course, but she would not be entirely under Thranduil's jurisdiction._

 _She will feel more loyalty to Thranduil than any of us, no matter what we say,_ Elrond warned.

 _And yet she is our best option,_ Galadriel added. _I do not believe we have another choice._

There was ire on Thranduil's face; it seemed he suspected that the silence was not all that it seemed. "Tauriel, leave us," he declared. "We will decide on your appointment and call you back inside when we have come to a conclusion." Tauriel bowed deeply and stepped out of the room.

"She is young and unpracticed," Elrond stated. "I believe she will do all that she can, but I worry if that will be enough." The look on Galadriel's face showed that she understood what Elrond was doing; if they acted as if they were hesitant on appointing Tauriel, Thranduil may be more likely to accept whatever provisions they made to have her appointed.

"She is our best option," Thranduil retorted. "Surely that is obvious."

"You raised the girl, yes?" Celeborn asked. Thranduil nodded. "I worry that her loyalty to you will distract her from her responsibilities."

"If she is to be the emissary to represent us all, she must be equally loyal to all the elf lands," Galadriel murmured, as if the thought had just occurred to her. "She must swear fealty to us all."

"I am certain she will," Thranduil replied, grasping the opportunity. "I propose we give her the position."

"I believe she is our best option," Galadriel added. Celeborn nodded. Thranduil turned to Elrond, his expression smug.

"Very well," Elrond agreed, nodding. Triumph was visible on Thranduil's face.

"Tauriel!" he shouted. The doors opened half a second later and Tauriel entered. "We have decided to give you the position of elven emissary."

"Thank you, my king," Tauriel replied, bowing deeply.

"With this position, you will be equally loyal to all the elf lands," Celeborn told her. "Do you swear to be equal and fair in your dealings with us all?"

"I swear it," Tauriel replied firmly.

"Now we need only convince King Thorin to accept this," Galadriel stated.

 _Which will be a trial, I am sure,_ Elrond remarked telepathically. _And to think, we found dealing with Thranduil to be difficult. I am sure Thorin will prove him to be absolutely reasonable._

Galadriel's silent, musical laughter was her only response.

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 **The information about the backgrounds for Celeborn, Galadriel, Elrond, and Thranduil is all from Tolkien.**

 **Haldir is the leader of the Galadhrim Warriors in the movie version of _The Two Towers_. He speaks the Common Tongue, but it is implied that he is one of the few who do.**

 **The telepathy that Galadriel, Celeborn, and Elrond use is shown in both the movies and the books as something that the more powerful elves (and Gandalf) can do. According to canon, Galadriel, Celeborn, and Elrond can all do it; I don't know if Thranduil can, so I kept him out of the mental conversation.**


End file.
